Wielding a flashlight I create my own narrative of the night. I explore the mysterious, the sublime, the unexpected, the often obscure and unnoticed; some of those hidden meanings that lie on the edge of consciousness.
In my search of the uncanny, I use photography as a support of the imaginary and light is my tool. My domains of predilection are spaces filled with darkness and with light I unveil a new universe, which unfolds through the viewer’s imagination. I have always being fascinated by my country’s ancestral beliefs in spirits that still commingle with Christianity. In my photos, I become the Shaman, the seer, the healer, and the magician, divining spirits and revealing what remains unseen under ordinary light. Dreams, death, and dread are recurring topics in my work. Some images evoke otherworldly feelings and often have a haunted effect; some others convey a disembodied quality. There are allusions to primitive and Christian rituals as well, which evoke a ceremonial atmosphere. The photographs derive from the two disparate cultures that coexist in Mexico: modern Christianity and the still-pervasive ancient Indian beliefs. The seemingly normal scenarios and characters undergo an eerie metamorphosis during the process of shooting in the dark.
These images raise some important issues about the existence of good and evil in the world and where the real and the unreal coexist. This project represents a further venture into the realm of Magical Realism, where fantastic elements blend with the ordinary to reveal a deeper understanding of the world. Much like The Scream, the well-known expressionist painting by Edvard Munch, this body of work expresses an existential angst. These provocative photographs become my own primal outcry about the tragedy of the human condition.
Roberta Marroquin Doria, 37, is Mexican. She currently lives in New York City.
Nominated by Reviewer:
Wayne Northcross, Curator, Bronx Biennial
http://www.robertamarroquin.com/
